The Dalai Lama, head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet, will visit Madison July 19 through July 24 to hold teaching sessions and partake in a spiritual ritual performed for the first time in North America.
The Dalai Lama will give a public speech on July 19 at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum to kick off his six-day visit. He will spend the following days at the Coliseum holding teaching sessions and cultural presentations.
The Dalai Lama’s visit will conclude with the “Tenshug,” or “long life” ceremony at the end of the final teaching session on July 23.
The Tenshug ceremony is a Tibetan ceremony in which followers of the Dalai Lama pray for his long life, according to Wisconsin Tibetan Association vice president Jampa Khedup. He said that although the ritual is performed frequently in other countries around the world, the upcoming event in Madison would be the first Tenshug ceremony held in North America.
“All the Tibetans who are in Canada and in this country will come and request long life,” said Geshe Sopa, leader of the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, Wis.
Deer Park Buddhist will co-sponsor the Dalai Lama’s visit, along with the North American Tibetan Association. Sopa said participation in events is open to everyone, regardless of spiritual beliefs.
“In this case it is more than just spiritual because he is both a political and spiritual leader,” Khedup said. “Everybody’s coming together to pay gratitude to the Dalai Lama and show their respect and faith in him.”
In traditional Tibetan culture, followers must first ask their spiritual leader to allow them to perform the Tenshug ritual, according to Khedup. The followers then pray for the long life of their master and ask him to continue to teach them and act as their guide through life.
According to the Dalai Lama’s website, the spiritual leader works within three separate levels: the level of the human being promoting human values such as compassion and discipline, the level of religious practitioner and as a free spokesperson of the Tibetans.
Tickets to the July 19 public talk cost $25 and are available for purchase at the Alliant Energy Center box office and through Ticketmaster. Tickets for the teaching sessions July 20-23 go on sale Feb. 1 and prices for ticket packages range between $155 and $205. Discounted rates are available for senior citizens and children.
